


The call of the running tide

by azziria



Series: I must down to the seas again [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, Selkie!fic, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-05
Updated: 2011-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-17 15:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/178181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azziria/pseuds/azziria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve can't stay...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The call of the running tide

**Author's Note:**

> A selkie!ficlet. For those not familiar with the myths, legend has it that a selkie can only make contact with one particular human for a short amount of time before they must return to the sea. Opening couplet from from _Sea Fever_ by John Masefield.

  


  


_I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide  
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied_  


Danny wakes in the half light of dawn and knows immediately that something’s different. The hiss of the waves against the shore and the salt tang of the sea breeze are strong through the open doorway leading to the balcony. The wind’s changed, and Steve is leaving him.

He rolls lightly out of bed, pads to the wardrobe, breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that the skin is still there. It’s been moved, been taken down and refolded, but it’s still there. For now. He reaches up, strokes a finger lightly along the smooth hair, wonders how different it would feel warm against Steve’s skin. Knows that he could still take it, hide it, make Steve stay, but he’s not that guy, has never wanted to be that guy, will never be, however much this hurts.

Steve’s out on the balcony, leaning on the rail, watching the ocean. Danny pauses to appreciate the long lean curves of bone and muscle, to wonder yet again that he got to have this, for however short a time. He walks slowly over, resting his elbows on the rail, bumping shoulders with Steve.

Steve doesn’t look at him, is silent for a long moment, then says “Danny...” in a voice that’s cracked and broken. Danny half turns, rests his hand on Steve’s arm. “It’s OK, babe. I know. I’ve always known.” He swallows down the lump in his throat, tries to ignore the desolate twist in his gut. “It could have been me, you know. If Rachel had taken Grace back to the mainland, to Iowa, somewhere like that, somewhere you couldn’t follow. It could have been me who had to go and you who had to stay.”

Steve looks at Danny now, and oh, his eyes, his eyes would break Danny’s heart if it wasn’t already being torn into a thousand tiny pieces. There are tears in them, and Danny’s never seen Steve cry. “If I could stay, Danny, if I could stay, you know I would...”

And Danny’s got tears in his eyes too, now, and how manly is that? He tries for a grin, maybe half succeeds. “But you can’t stay, I know that. I’ve always known that, you big goof. Always known that it would come to this one day, so long Danny, and thanks for all the fish.”

But then he’s serious again, “How long, babe? How long have we got?”

Steve turns back again, looks out at the ocean. ”A day, maybe two. I’m not sure. I’ve never stayed this long before... never _wanted_ to stay...” and Danny hears his voice break, pulls Steve into him, wraps his arms around him and just holds on for a long, long time.

”Come on, babe,” Danny says finally, blinking back the tears, taking Steve’s hand and pulling him back towards the doorway “Come back to bed with me. You and me, we’ve got all the time in the world...”


End file.
